Online Safety & Media

Sexting and sharing nudes

Overview

Our teaching on and sharing nudes deals with a reality that most young people are already navigating, whether or not it's being discussed openly at home or in school.

We help them understand the risks, the law, and the consequences — and we give them the tools to handle the pressure, the requests, and the fallout when things go wrong.

This topic takes in what happens when a nude gets shared without , the law around creating and possessing intimate images of under-18s, and the pressure that drives image sharing — from partners, from peers, from the expectation that "everyone does it." It also addresses the shame and distress that follows when images are shared, because that's where the real damage is done.

Key learning outcomes

By the end of lessons on this topic, students will:

  • Understand the legal position on creating and sharing intimate images involving under-18s
  • Recognise the risks of sending intimate images, including loss of control over who sees them
  • Develop strategies for handling pressure to send or share nudes
  • Know what to do if an intimate image of them is shared without consent
  • Understand the emotional impact on victims of non-consensual image sharing
  • Challenge the normalisation of requesting and sharing intimate images
  • Know where to get help, including how to get images removed

Why teaching about sexting and sharing nudes matters

When a nude gets shared around a school, the damage is immediate and lasting. The person in that image carries the shame, the anxiety, the fear of being recognised. The people who shared it rarely understand the harm they've caused — or the legal consequences they face.

This isn't a future risk. It's happening now, in every secondary school. Young people need clear, direct education about sexting — not moralising, not scare stories, but honest information about the law, the risks, and what to do when it goes wrong.

Curriculum alignment

This topic addresses 15 requirements from the DfE statutory RSE guidance and 5 learning outcomes from the PSHE Association Programme of Study , across KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5.

View all curriculum references

DfE RSE Statutory Guidance 2026

  • "How inequalities of power can impact behaviour within relationships, including sexual relationships" Secondary RSE: Respectful relationships, 10 · KS3, KS4
  • "How information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 12 · KS3, KS4
  • "Not to provide material to others that they would not want to be distributed further and not to pass on personal material which is sent to them" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 4 · KS3, KS4
  • "Online risks, including that any material provided online might be circulated, and that once a picture or words has been circulated there is no way of deleting it everywhere and no control over where it ends up" Relationships Education: Online safety and awareness, 5 · KS1, KS2
  • "Online risks, including the importance of being cautious about sharing personal information online and of using privacy and location settings appropriately" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 2 · KS3, KS4
  • "That fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviours can be criminal, and where to get help if needed" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 10 · KS3, KS4
  • "That keeping or forwarding indecent or sexual images of someone under 18 is a crime, even if the photo is of themselves or someone who has consented, and even if the image was created by the child and/or using AI generated imagery" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 5 · KS3, KS4
  • "That they have rights in relation to sharing personal data, privacy and consent" Health Education: Wellbeing online, 10 · KS1, KS2
  • "The concept of privacy and its implications for both children and adults; including that it is not always right to keep secrets if they relate to being safe" Relationships Education: Being Safe, 2 · KS1, KS2
  • "The concepts and laws relating to domestic abuse, including controlling or coercive behaviour, emotional, sexual, economic or physical abuse, and violent or threatening behaviour" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 9 · KS3, KS4
  • "The concepts and laws relating to harms which are exploitative, including sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and abuse, grooming, and financial exploitation" Secondary RSE: Being Safe, 11 · KS3, KS4
  • "The importance of exercising caution about sharing any information about themselves online, and understanding the importance of privacy and location settings to protect information online" Relationships Education: Online safety and awareness, 4 · KS1, KS2
  • "The risks and signs that they may be at risk of grooming or exploitation, and how to seek help where there is a concern" Secondary Health: Personal safety, 6 · KS3, KS4
  • "The role of consent, including in romantic and sexual relationships. That ethical behaviour goes beyond consent and involves kindness, care, attention to the needs and vulnerabilities of the other person, as well as an awareness of power dynamics" Secondary RSE: Respectful relationships, 8 · KS3, KS4
  • "What to do and how to report when they are concerned about material that has been circulated, including personal information, images or videos" Secondary RSE: Online safety and awareness, 6 · KS3, KS4

PSHE Association Programme of Study 2020

  • "About the challenges associated with getting help in domestic abuse situations of all kinds; the importance of doing so; sources of appropriate advice and support, and how to access them" KS4 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R32 · KS4
  • "That consent is freely given; that being pressurised, manipulated or coerced to agree to something is not giving consent, and how to seek help in such circumstances" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R24 · KS3
  • "The impact of sharing sexual images of others without consent" KS3 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R29 · KS3
  • "To recognise and manage different forms of abuse, sources of support and exit strategies for unhealthy relationships" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R20 · KS5
  • "To recognise and manage negative influence, manipulation and persuasion in a variety of contexts, including online" KS5 Core Theme 2: Relationships, R19 · KS5

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Questions young people ask about Sexting and sharing nudes

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